2. My initial idea for the location of my horror teaser trailer is the woods,
and also in the house of a psychiatrists house. This is because these types
of locations are very conventional for the horror genre and i think is a
really effective location because it will evoke fear into the audience and
make the character feel very vulnerable. The idea of the psychiatrists
office/house is effective because it lets the audience know something
isn't quite right, it's giving them an idea of what this film is like. The type
of lighting i am going to use for the trailer is going to be low-key lighting
as it will create more of a dramatic scene for the audience and bring a
tremendous sense of danger, which is conventional for the horror genre
and it what the audience would expect.
plan to use a wide range of cinematography such as: establishing
shots, close ups, over the shoulder shots, high and low angle shots and
wide shots. These will be the prime shots used for my trailer as they are
conventional for this type of genre. The beginning of my trailer will
feature an establishing shot in order to introduce the location/setting
and set a tone and atmosphere for the trailer. I am going to use several
close ups throughout my trailer to convey the characters emotions and
reactions the the audience which will help them empathise with the
character. I will use over the shoulder shots to show conversation and
the strained relationship between characters, which is typically
associated with the horror genre. I will definitely be using high and low
angle shots in order to show the vulnerability of the main character
compared to others. This will allow me to demonstrate the strong or
weak characters within the trailer.
These two images demonstrate
me using the correct horror
conventions within my trailer.
We can see the effectiveness of
the woods as a horror location
as it has been used here in the
film ‘The Conjurng’.
We can also see a mid-shot
taken from The Conjuring which
is being really effective at
conveying this characters
emotions and therefore making
the audience sympathise with
her, but also making them
scared for her. This is the effect I
want to also achieve in my
horror teaser trailer by using
these kinds of shots.
Production ideas
3. The type of props i plan to use within the trailer will obviously
associate with the horror for example props that have
religious connotations. I also plan to use props that represent
everyday life, for example the scene set in the house of a
psychiatrists house will demonstrate regular living and
everything in the frame will show this. The divide in the type of
props used will help create a false sense of security for the
audience.
For example these Rosary
Beads will be used as a prop
within my trailer as they really
relate to the story line and will
evoke tension and fear. But also
religious connotations within a
horror is very conventional.
The type of costumes i will use in my trailer will be effective at
conveying the types of characters, and also the horror genre. The
main character and focus of the trailer will be dressed in dark
clothes to show her lonely and isolated character. Her clothes will
be simple, such as jeans and a t shirt, but also a plain jacket to
show how she has a lack of confidence, which will really help to
demonstrate her character. The colour black also connotes danger
and fear which is what i am aiming to achieve within my trailer.
The psychiatrists in the trailer will be dressed in smart clothes such
as a white shirt and blazer to show his professional status. The
colour white also presents foreshadowing as it represent death.
In The Conjuring trailer costume is
used very effectively to present to
the audience what these character
are like. The characters are dressed
in smart clothes which makes it
obvious to the audience they are
professional people. In my trailer I
will be really focusing on costume
to help show the audience what mu
characters are like.
Production ideas
4. These two images show that a previous
horror film has used a close up to help
show how the horror of the film is
impacting the character. I plan to use
close ups in my trailer to present to the
audience the characters raw emotions,
it will help them connect and
sympathise with the character. It will
help to create tension between the
scenes as the audience will not know
what is coming next. It can be seen here
that they have effectively used a close
up in the film The Conjuring to convey
this characters emotions. She looks frail
and scared, which will allow the
audience to sympathise with her and
become more engaged with the film.
These images show that I have
planned to use an establishing shot
at the beginning of the trailer in
order to set the scene for the
audience and the characters within
the trailer. It is shown here being
used at the beginning of The
Conjuring teaser trailer, and is very
effective because it not only sets the
location for the trailer but also sets
the tome and atmosphere. I plan to
use a similar establishing shot of a
house as I feel it is a good way to
start the scene and show where
things are, but also it creates a false
sense of security for the audience,
they wont know what to expect. The
shot will last around 2-3 seconds in
order to introduce the setting then
continue to the actual story, much
like it does in The Conjuring trailer.
These images show that I plan to use wide shots
within my trailer as I feel they are very effective
at showing vulnerability. The wide shot being
shown in The Conjuring trailer is very effective
at presenting the character as very small and
weak compared to whatever is looking up at
her. This will create tension for the audience and
also allows them to sympathise with her. I plan
to use a wide shot whilst my character is
walking through the woods as I feel it will
emphasise how small and alone she is in her
surroundings, which will cause the audience to
fear for her, and put them on edge because
anything could happen.
Production ideas
5. Script
From comparing my film script to other horror
productions it is clear that I have quite a lack of
dialogue over my 3 scenes. Other horror films
such as The Conjuring or The Woman In Black
have much larger story lines and far more
characters meaning they have w lot more
dialogue. However, I do feel the lack of
dialogue within my trailer is very effective at
creating tension and suspense for the audience
without giving too much away. I feel I have
included enough dialogue to present to the
audience an obvious story line that they can
engage with, but will also leave them wanting
more. Along with this, I plan to be effective
when it comes to the sound I use within my
trailer, using non-diegetic background music
throughout some of the trailer to create a
great sense of fear for the audience during that
certain scene. I will also use effective sound
effects such as screaming to show an obvious
fear in the character, which in turn will make
the audience fear for them, and make them
really engage with the trailer.
6. Cast/Characters
These screen shots from the film, ‘The Conjuring’, compared to the cast of my horror teaser trailer help show the I am using a correct
convention for the horror genre. My characters are of similar ages to those shown in The Comjuring, the means my production will be
successful as I am using characters that I know are appropriate for the target audience; they will be able to relate and sympathise
with my main female character. My trailer will also represent Carol Clover’s ‘final girl’ theory, which is the idea most horror films
centre around one particular female, normally a young girl. This shows my story line is following obvious conventions used within
other horror films. Costume ties in massively with the character as it can been seen in The Conjuring screen shots that they have
chosen costumes for the characters to represent their age and personality, which is something I will obviously be doing within my
teaser trailer.
7. Font ideas
When I compare my initial font ideas to other, professional ancillary products for horror films it is quite clear they don’t really match up. Both
fonts seen being used for The Conjuring’s poster and The Woman in Black’s poster are very bold and actually quite plain looking, yet they both
stand out very well against the dark backgrounds and really make a statement on the page. It seems obvious the me these are horror film posters,
and that is the kind of effect I want my poster to have. I definitely intend to focus on having a dark background for my teaser poster because they
are so effective at showing the horror convention but also make bold fonts stand out even more. My initial font ideas are in fact all very bold and
eye catching. Both fonts used for The Conjuring and The Woman in Black relate to the story line of the films, the boldness of the font gives the
audience an idea of what to expect within the film, for example If The Conjuring had been written perhaps in a nice flowery font, people would get
a completely different idea. This is the impression I want to make with my teaser poster, I will show the danger which will come from my storyline
an will therefore make the audience watch the trailer/film to find out more about what happens. By comparing by fonts to the professional used
ones, I can see I may have used to wrong colour as I can see that a white font against a dark background is obviously going to be far more
effective.
8. Ancillary Products
By comparing my draft for my teaser poster to a previous horror genre production, it means I am able to identify whether it is conventional to the genre.
From looking at ‘The Conjuring’ films teaser poster it is obvious I am following the right conventions for this genre. The Conjuring’s poster has included
information at the top of the page informing the audience who has made this film, by showing their previous works, which is exactly what I have done.
The reason they have done this is because they know these films have an existing fan base, and fans of these films will be more inclined to go a watch this
one. At the bottom of the poster they have included the information ‘APRIL 2013’, which is quite vague and will keep the audience in suspense. This is
similar to what I have done when including the information ‘COMING SOON’ at the bottom of the poster, it is very vague and will keep the audience
wondering about this film, having not given much away. The main focus of The Conjuring’s poster is actually the title of the film, whereas I have chosen to
use an image. However both of these features are in the primary optical area of the page, showing I have placed in the correct place. Both poster also
include a tag-line, The Conjuring’s being, ‘The truth will consume you’ and mine being ‘Don’t say her name’. Tag-lines are very effective, especially on
teaser posters, at giving the audience an idea of what the film is about, using one quick sentence. It is enough to create suspense for the audience, and
leave them wanting to know more about the film, which is the idea of a teaser poster, meaning I am obviously following the correct conventions.
9. Ancillary products
By comparing my film magazine cover ideas to an actual film magazine, I can see whether I have actually followed the proper conventions of a
magazine cover. From looking at Empire magazine I can see that I have definitely followed the correct conventions, I have placed the skyline and mast
head in their primary optical areas just like Empire magazine. I have also placed the main anchorage text in the middle of the page, same as Empire,
but it wont over-shadow the main image which ill also be in the primary optical area of the page, just like Empire magazine have clearly done. I plan to
incorporate the background of the magazine cover to the main image just like they have done in Empire by using the stars and stripes as an obvious
link to the main image. Whereas I may make the background very dark the link with the horror genre and film. I plan to make the sell lines of my
magazine cover represent the genre of the film being advertised by adverting other films within the horror genre, just like they have in empire my
advertising other acting/superhero films such as ‘Wolverine’. The reason they do this is because they know fans of that genre and films in general will
love the idea of being able to read able other films that they would probably love.
